The aim of the article is to describe and analyze the strategies used by teachers in their everyday encounters with those who express concerns towards peace education--parents, colleagues, head teachers, and students. The analysis uses a theoretical framework that builds upon critical peace education and brings into conversation the notions of…

Growing up in a high family risk (HFR) environment is accompanied by difficulties in executive functions (EFs) and interpersonal skills (IS) that may persist into adulthood. Because preadolescence is a critical period, this study will assess a multicomponent mediational intervention program, to determine the possibility of improving these skills.…

The Small Island Developing State of Jamaica, in the Caribbean region, is facing significant environmental, economic, and social challenges. Violence has become a serious challenge for Jamaica and several other countries in the region; the level of violence against and among children is particularly disturbing. Perhaps even more troubling is the…

Racial inequity is a pernicious problem in American schools. Discrepancies in school discipline show that black students are two to three times more likely than their peers to be suspended and expelled, even for similar infractions. This directly affects the racial achievement gap, school dropout, and involvement in the juvenile justice system.…

The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of an alternative to suspension intervention on students' subsequent major referrals. The intervention included activities designed to teach social coping strategies as well as mediation to resolve interpersonal conflicts. The intervention was implemented in a therapeutic high school, and…

Communicative self-efficacy serves as an important link between discussing controversial issues and civic engagement because confidence in one's discourse skills is important to managing conflicting perspectives and developing solutions to community-based problems. Freely available to schools, "Word Generation" is a cross-content…

This article explores the developing role of mediation as a conflict resolution process in schools. It gives an accepted definition and clarifies the purposes of mediation, outlining the range of contexts in and beyond schools in which mediation is already offered as a formal intervention. The typical process of mediation itself is described. The…

Violence and alienation are common occurrences in the lives of many young people today. This article presents an overview of the work of the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (ICCCR) at Teachers College, Columbia University, which is aimed at helping individuals, schools, communities, businesses, and governments better…

The purposes of this paper are at least threefold: (1) to identify and explain mediation as a process constituting a deliberate set of sequential acts and nonacts as an appropriate means for peaceful, impartial crisis resoluation of inter racial violence between/among students in secondary public schools; (2) to present mediation as a viable…

Information regarding school-based programs designed to promote safety and civility as well as reduce violence and disrespect toward school personnel and fellow students is provided in this document. It describes primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions. Primary interventions are defined as universally administered to all students and are…

Although Switzerland is a small country, it has a highly diverse population, and with that diversity has come the potential for violence in the schools. In the last 2 or 3 years, school violence has become a major issue in Swiss education. This paper involves an intervention undertaken by specially trained school psychologists to reduce violence…

The purpose of this study is the construction of an administrative model to deal with youth in conflict in inner-city high schools through the intervening therapeutic technique called Positive Peer Culture (P.P.C.) Development of this model was facilitated by analyzing the literature, nationwide visitations of P.P.C. Programs and results of…

This article discusses the development and operation of the Conflict Prevention and Mediation Program (CPMP) at the University of California-Los Angeles, which is designed to address conflicts related to cultural diversity on campus and in the community. The contributions of six CPMP participants and future directions for the program are…

This report highlights the safety initiatives developed at 31 public school districts across the country and designed to ensure that students have a safe and secure learning environment. Specific initiatives include violence-prevention programs, collaborative efforts among schools and communities, gang prevention and intervention efforts, peer…